Abstract

ISO 9000 (2000) is a quality management system with a high reputation all around the globe. It is a set of requirements used by organisations to attain customer satisfaction.
The number of organisations implementing the ISO 9000 (2000) are increasing rapidly worldwide.
The influence of the trend to raise quality has reached the Middle East through the efforts of organisations to implement the ISO 9000 (2000) quality management system.
In the United Arab Emirates there are more than 1400 (one thousand four hundred) organisations registered with the ISO 9000. Private companies have made great efforts
to implement the system in the country. Additionally government departments have started quality initiatives by implementing the ISO 9000 (2000). In particular, the
Sharjah Government Departments in the United Arab Emirates were one of the leading government departments that gained ISO 9000 certification. Although a good many government departments have got the certification and have followed it, others have not yet done so. Therefore the aim of this research is to identify and analyse the barriers to
implementing ISO 9000 (2000) in some government departments in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
In order to achieve the research aim, an empirically based system ratio analysis of four case studies covering organisations in the Sharjah government was carried out.
Substantial field work was undertaken using a predominantly qualitative approach. Data was collected through semi structured interviews, to explore the implementation of ISO
9000, and to provide a more holistic understanding using triangulation techniques.
The primary contribution of this research is an in-depth understanding of the barriers to implementing ISO 9000 (2000) in some government departments in Sharjah. This study
identified unique barriers affecting the ISO 9000 (2000) implementation in Sharjah Government Departments. They were divided into four main categories: social barriers, external barriers. Governmental barriers and organisational barriers. The key findings of the research indicate that the departments covered by the case face considerable
numbers of barriers affecting the implementation of ISO 9000 (2000), taking into consideration the culture which plays a major role in the departments concerned.